


Sunshine Boys

by SunnysCircle



Category: My Hero Academia, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Angst, Fluff, Gay Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Gay Kirishima Eijirou, KiriDeku, M/M, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Mutual Pining, Parental Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Supportive Midoriya Inko, They/Them Shinsou, Trans Ashido Mina, Trans Male Character, Trans Midoriya Izuku, Wholesome, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29713584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnysCircle/pseuds/SunnysCircle
Summary: ~A baseball AU~"My name is Izuku Midoriya, and this is the story how I became the greatest baseball player of all time."Izuku Midoriya is finally attending the school of his dreams. UA high. And if it weren't for his old friend and middle school abuser, Katsuki Bakugou (or as Izuku calls him- angry pomeranian), he'd probably be having more fun. He's lived his entire life in fear of his old friend and this year wasn't going to be any different- or, at least, that was the plan. Until a few people entered Izuku's life and helped change his situation for the better. And this year, he's not going to let anyone get in his way.
Relationships: KiriDeku - Relationship, Kirishima Eijirou & Midoriya Izuku, Kirishima Eijirou/Midoriya Izuku
Kudos: 5





	Sunshine Boys

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I'm writing a full length series here about a ship of mine (Kirideku). The last time I wrote a full length series I was in middle school, so hopefully this goes well. A few notes here- there is major trans and homophobia. Katsuki almost says the f slur a few times as well. If you're a fan of Bakugou you might want to wait until I'm further along in the series to start reading.
> 
> I am in fact a gay man who has been called this slur before. However, if majority of you are like "hey fam this ain't in" I'm totally willing to not use it and use fuckface instead lol.

_“Why are you being so mean, Kacchan?” Tears rolled down my face as I put my hands up to block another punch from coming to my face. Kacchan didn’t care. His fist collided with my face again, despite my attempt to block. I fell to my back- I didn’t notice at the time, but I had flown back a few feet as well._

_“You wanna pretend to be a boy? You don’t stand a chance against any of the real boy’s in our class, Daiya.” The blonde smirked. He threw a kick into my side before I had the chance to react. I curled into a ball as he kept pounding me into the dirt._

_“I-I told you not to call me that, Kacchan! My name is Izuku, n-not Daiya!” I cried out, covering my face before his foot could collide with my nose._

_“Daiya… Izuku… hey, that reminds me of a word!” Kacchan laughed, putting a pause on his abuse. “Deku- Can’t! Just like you can’t be a boy! And it matches your old and new name. Yeah! Deku!” Kacchan’s maniacal laugh spread through the playground like the plague._

_Suddenly, all of the other kids who were attempting to leave the school saw me on the ground. Defenless. Some laughed at me. The ones who didn’t laugh simply ignored me. Like I wasn’t worth their time._

_“I hope you remember this before you ever say you’re a boy again, Deku!”_

Here’s the sad truth.

All men are not created equal.

This was the reality I learned about society at the younge age of four. And that was my first, and last, set back.

The first trans athlete I heard of was Mange, otherwise known as Big Sister Mange, a Mixed Martial Artist. She once fractured the skull of her opponent in a fight. Before she was an MMA fighter, she was in the army. And before then, she was a mother. She took the world by storm, and she was incredible. With a little less than 0.42% being transgender, and 6.8% of the population apart of the LGBT community, our streets have a tendancy to be full of pride. This means the news is constantly on trans athletes, and leads to incidents where trans people are blackmailed into coming out. This makes it unsafe for lots of trans people who gain popularity through the media... however….

“Izuku! It’s time for dinner!” My mom’s voice rings out throughout our apartment. 

“Uh- okay! Coming, mom!” I respond, setting down my journal. I stretch for a moment, before heading out of my room.

“It’s your favorite too! Katsudon!” My mom says, turning to me as I enter the kitchen. She hands me the bowl full of food, smiling at me. I offer her a smile too before going to sit down at our dining table. She follows shortly after, sitting next to me.

We sit in silence for a while, enjoying our food together.

“Did you check and see if you got into UA yet?” My mom asks after a while, turning to look at me. She stuffs a piece of meat into her mouth.

“This morning, yeah. I don’t know if I’m going to get in though… I think I failed the math portion of the test…” I place my bowl of food down on the table, sighing. I rest my face in my hands.

“Oh Izu… I’m sure you did amazing.” My mom says, wrapping her arms around my head. I pat her a few times before going back to eating.

We finish eating in silence. I head back to my room and wait. To speed up the waiting process, I open up my laptop and start playing video games to hold me over.

And this goes on for 3 days.

Then, finally, after those agonizing three days, my letter from UA finally comes. My mom runs it over to me, tears filling her eyes.

“IZZZUUUUUKKUUU! It’s here! What’s it say?” She yells. She ends up falling to her knees in her excitement. When I reach out to grab the letter I realize my hands are shaking. Part of me wants to hand it back to my mom and tell her to rip it to shreds before I have the chance to see if I failed.

I decide against that.

I take my letter into my bedroom, closing my door behind me. The note rests in my hands. It’s light. The envelop itself is soft. There’s also a bulky item resting in it. After a few minutes of idle fiddling with the note, I rip the top off carefully.

The bulkier item falls out unintentionally, falling to the ground. Out from it appears a holographic video of one of the teachers at UA high- I believe his name is Mr. Might- and the man is smiling at me.

“Booya! I am here as a projection now!” The muscular man says. He’s in a yellow suit with black stripes, and strands of his blonde hair have been gelled up. I can’t help but thinking he’d make a great superhero.

“I know it may have been awhile to get your results, but with great power, comes a great amount of paperwork!” The man coughs into his hand after his attempt at a joke. “My apologizes young man-”

My heart stops for a moment

“The truth is that our staff was unable to get the results out for awhile because one of our counselors recently retired. But not to worry, as our staff is back to the amount of members we originally had!” Mr. Might claps his hands together. He turns back to the camera and smiles. An incredible wide smile.

“I am happy to announce that, you, Izuku Midoryia, will be attending UA high!” The teacher states, clapping his hands together. “We will be sending you your uniform within the coming weeks.” 

The man continues talking over the video, but I’m not paying attention at this point. My heart is beating out of it’s chest as I quickly run out to greet my mom, who has been on her knees the entire time, holding her hands to her chest.

“Mom… I got in!”

~~~~

The next few weeks are hell while I deal with Katsuki. We got our acceptance notices around the same time, meaning that he has been bragging to everyone that someone as ‘cool’ as him got into UA. Well, if you asked me, I’d say transphobia is NOT cool. Not that anyone at my school cares.

“Hey nerd, what’re you writing in your dumb journal?”

I recognize that voice. I close my book and turn to the angry pomeranian, my eyebrows raised.

“Why would you care what’s in my journal if you think it’s dumb?” I ask, tilting my head. A genuine question- oftentimes, when we’re alone, Katuski will ask me what I write about. Sometimes I tell him, and he usually says the same thing. ‘That’s fucking lame.’ From there, he attempts to rip the book apart. If I don’t tell him he says that I’m stupid, and punches me in the face. There are times like now when I’m curious, but these times also end up the same way.

“Because I want to know what someone as useless as you has to say about the people that are so clearly better than you.” Comes the answer I’m so used to. I shrug him off, then continue writing.

To my surprise, Katuski rips the book out of my hands. He stares at it for a moment, reading over every word I had just written down. He throws the book down on the ground and stomps on it.

“The fuck is this?” He asks, staring hatefully at the now ruined journal.

“That- I- it’s the baseball player Yawara Chatora. He’s- he’s a pitcher for the Pussycats team.” I explain, reaching to pick up my journal. Katsuki kicks me in the ribs as I reach down. He puts his foot over my back and begins stomping- hard enough to bruise, but not hard enough to do any other damage.

“You’re obsessed with trannys!” Bakugou laughs as he beats me down. I close my eyes and wait for the ordeal to be over with, trying to not make too much sound.

Katsuki stops after awhile, kicking me onto my backside. His maniacal laugh rings out through the empty courtyard.

“Why don’t you take a swan dive off the roof and pray to be born a boy in your next life!”

I feel as if the wind just got knocked out of my lungs after he leaves. I gasp for air as tears fall from my eyes. I lay there, on the cement, helpless, for what feels like hours. Eventually, as the sun sets, I get up and begin my trek home.

If I were like Tiger (Yawara Chatora) I would stand up to him. I’d be strong and muscular too. No one would ever mess with me again, and I’d have all the money I want to for things like testosterone, or maybe plastic surgery.

One day, I swear, I will be an amazing baseball player.

Just like Yawara Chatora.

Just like Katsuki Bakugou.

~~~

When I get home, my mom is a blubbering mess. She sends herself into a frenzy trying to ice my back. I tell her I’m fine, just tired, but she doesn’t believe me. She sets up the couch to sleep on. We watch baseball together. She wraps her arms around me, telling me how proud she is.

I cry in her arms that night.

~~~

It’s summer time. I spend most of my time at the batting cages.

Sometimes, I have to hide from Katsuki.

But when I step into the cage I feel the weight on my shoulders lift up. The place feels like a second home to me.

When the bat connects with the ball it feels like second nature. I know exactly how to position my body, I know how to hit the bat, and I know how to aim as well.

I have my mom to thank for that.

She used to play shortstop on a softball team before she had me. She still goes out sometimes with her old softball buddies, but she tries her best to be a fulltime mom. Once I get better at baseball, I’m going to tell my mom to get back into softball.

I’ll train with her.

We’ll be able to share something together.

I hit another ball. It flies into the top of the net before bouncing back down.

I can’t wait to hit one onto a field.

~~~

Summer comes to an end. 

My mom makes Katsudon the night before school starts.

The nerves won’t stop.

~~~

When I wake up the next morning, my nerves are still shot. My alarm clock goes off for a few minutes, and even though I’ve already had a dozen or so hours of sleep, I still feel tired.

I roll out of my bed, onto the floor. The sun hasn’t even begun to rise yet. But no. School wants us to wake up at the ass crack of dawn.

‘Plus Ultra’

Yeah right. More like 4+ hours of sleep.

I reach out under my bed and pull out my binder. I slip my shirt off, sliding my binder on in its place. I inhale deeply to get used to the feeling once more.

From there I get up, slip on my school uniform, and make my way to the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirrors we have around. Each reflection is smiling back at me, determination in their eyes.

I brush my teeth, comb my hair back, then make my way over to my mom. She’s frantically cooking in the kitchen, running all over the place, making sure that our breakfast is ready before I have to go to school, but I can tell she needs help.

I stand next to the stove top and help her finish the eggs. She doesn’t notice me for awhile, instead mumbling to herself about the toast and bacon. It goes on like this for a few minutes. When she does notice me it’s like a scene out of a comedy movie.

“OH FUCK- Oh it’s just you Izuku. Thank goodness.” She says. Her hand goes to cover her heart. I give her a smile before starting to plate the eggs.

“You should really learn to be more observant mom. What if a villain tried to attack you one day? You wouldn’t even notice them.” My mom gives me a pat and kiss on the cheek.

“Well when that day comes be sure to protect me like the big strong man you are.” She responds. We sit down at our table, and before I know it, breakfast is finished, and I’m on my way to school.

The bus ride there is about as quiet as you’d expect it to be for 7 in the morning. There are a few people napping besides me, but then there’s also other people having small and mundane conversations.

I overhear a lady talking about her son wanting to join the baseball team. She’s smiling like she’s proud, and mentions how she’s hoping to surprise her kids when they come home from their first day back.

It’s not much longer before I reach my bus stop. From there, I speed walk across the street, take a right, then make my way up a very large hill.

Let me tell you, it’s not fun.

When I finally reach the top it feels like the wind has been knocked out of me. My binder doesn’t help either. I grab the front of it and pull gently, allowing air to flow through my lungs without the constricting feeling.

It only takes me a few moments to recover. I wipe the sweat off my forehead that gathered due to my fucking mile trek (or is it anxiety? I can’t tell) and walk up to the front doors.

This is it, mom. I’ve finally reached my goal. And I’m not going to let anyone get in my way!

It takes me a moment to realize that the floor isn’t getting bigger, I’m falling.

Nope. I’m a failure. After all that hard work. I’m sorry, mom. I’m sorry Yawara- Christ how long is this fall-

As my luck would have it, a girl with brown hair and rosy pink cheeks stops my fall by pulling my backpack up.

“Whoa! You gotta start being more careful!” She says, giving me a smile. My face heats up really fast- faster than it usually does.

“W-Well- I-I-I- th-thanks! You’re like- wow- like- um- so- UMMM OKAY I’LL SEE YOU LATER BYE NOW-”

I’m such a fucking idiot.

\---

“Um.. excuse me… is this class 1A?”

Everyone’s attention is pulled towards me. It’s awkward and intense. After what feels like forever, a boy with glasses and blue hair speaks up.

“Yes sir! This is class 1A! I am Tenya Iida!” He yells, moving his arms around. I purse my lips together, feeling accomplished for passing as male, but take a quick glance around the classroom. I’m not out of the woods until I know Katsuki isn’t here.

“Hi… Iida… I’m Izuku Midoryia.” I reply, going to sit down in a random desk. Before I can, Iida stops me. He points to a board at the front of the classroom.

“That is not your seat Izuku!” He yells. I jump at his sudden outburst, but luckily he doesn’t seem to notice as he begins to lift me out of my seat and place me in the correct one.

“I- uh… thank you, Iida.” I mumble out after a minute of confusion. I place my bag under my desk then lay my head down. The chatter among my classmates dies down. The world is nonexistent. It’s just me and my thoughts.

That is, of course, until I hear someone’s voice that I’ve all but forgotten.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU DAMN NERD-” Comes the angry pomerain’s accusual. I bite my lips together, pretending not to hear the asshole, but he stomps his way over to me.

Katsuki picks me up by the back of my shirt, lifting me in the air. He raises his hand to my face and I flinch, throwing myself back, but before his hand can collide with my face, a hand pulls him back.

A boy with red and spikey hair is staring him down.

“Whoa there! It’s not very manly to hit people!” He says, pushing Katsuki away from me. The angry pomeranian stares at him for a moment. He makes a sound that sounds like ‘tch’ before walking up to the board and looking for his seat. 

The red haired boy turns to me. He gives me a small smile, but the rest of his face is full of concern. He sits down on the desk next to me.

“Do you know him?” The boy asks, looking up at me.

“I- he-... we knew each other back in middle school.” Comes my answer. The boy nods at me a little bit. He turns to a girl with pink, curly hair. She’s talking with the other girls in the class already. The boy turns his attention back to me.

“He seems… great.”

“Ha. Yeah.” Comes my sarcastic reply. The boy laughs, and it is probably one of the nicest sounds I’ve ever heard in my life.

“What’s your name, bro?” He asks, going to stand up.

“Izuku. And… yours?” I ask.

The boy sticks out his hand.

“Kirishima. Ejiro Kirishima.” He says. I wait a moment before taking his hand. The top of his hands are rough, but his palm is soft. It’s also warm. Warmer than the classroom.

My face heats up again, but I conceal it much better this time. The bell rings and Kirishima gives me a pat on the back before heading back to his seat. His seat is two across from mine. Between us sits someone with black hair that seems to be gelled down. His skin is tanned, and he’s texting furiously on his phone.

I take a look at the back of the class and see the girl who saved me from eating concrete earlier. She’s got her head in her hands, seemingly off in another world. A smile spreads across my face and I turn back in front of me, waiting for my teacher.

Katsuki is sitting at the front of the class, leaning against the teachers desk. His face has turned sour (although I don’t think I’ve ever seen it any other way), but he’s not glaring at me anymore. I relish in that fact for a moment.

The second bell rings. After a few minutes of waiting, Tenya Iida stands up, moving his arms in a robotic motion once more.

“Alright class! It seems our homeroom teacher is late! Although that is unprofessional, I will take the responsibility, and take attendance for them!” Iida moves to the front of the class. He takes out a piece of paper, looks at the board, and begins writing down everyone’s names.

“Ayoma Yuga!”

“Here!” A blonde boy with a french accent yells out.

“Mina Ashido!”

“Here!”

That’s the girl Kirishima was looking at earlier… I can’t help but wonder if he likes her. For some reason, the thought pangs at my heartstrings a little bit.

“Tsuyu Asui!”

“Here- but you can just call me Tsu.” 

This girl has long, dark, green hair. Her tongue is sticking out of her mouth, but she doesn’t seem to notice that.

“Tenya Ii- oh wait, that’s me. I am here and present in class!” Iida yells out, marking himself down on the list. He gives himself a satisfied nod.

“Ochako Uraraka!”

“Huh- oh- I’m here!” The girl yells. It occurs to me that Uraraka is the girl who stopped me from tripping earlier. I guess she’s going to know if I’m careful or not.

“Mashiro Ojiro!”

“Present.” Says a boy with blonde hair. He sits up straight in his chair. I can tell he’s very concerned with the way he comes across, based on the way he carries himself. But I get the feeling it’s not in the bad sense.

“Denki Kaminari!”

No one answers for a moment.

“Denki Kaminari! Please state that you are here otherwise I’m going to have to mark you absent!”

I turn around to look at Kirishima, who is pushing the shoulder of a boy who has headphones on. The other boy, who I assume is Denki, pulls down his headphones, confused. He makes a gesture at Kirishima, then turns to Iida.

“Denki? Oh shit- uhhhh yeah I’m here!” He says after a few more minutes.

“Please refrain from using electronics in the classroom! Next person! Ejiro Kirishima!”

Kirishima leans back in his chair. He throws his hands behind his head.

“Here!” He responds, giving Iida a smile. My heart starts beating a bit faster and my face flushes again, but I refrain myself from staring longer than I think I should.

“Koji Koda!” Iida yells out. A boy stands up and begins signing. Iida gives a semi-tense look at the boy.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know sign language! Please forgive me!” He yells, bowing to Koda. Koda pulls out a piece of paper and begins writing frantically. He holds it up to the class.

‘I can’t speak, but I can hear’ It says.

‘I am Koda’ comes another.

Iida nods at Koda, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Alright! I will be sure to remember this in the future! Rikido Sato!”

“Here!” Yells a boy who has a piece of cake on his desk. He takes a forkful of it, smiling happily to himself.

“Please refrain from eating in the classroom as to not track any ants!” Iida warns, moving his arms around again.

“It’s the first day man, no need to worry!” Comes Sato’s reply.

“Mezo Shoji!”

A boy who has a mask on raises his hand.

“That would be me.” He states. Iida nods, going back to the chart.

“Kyoka Jiro!”

“Present.” A lazy tone rings out. A girl with purple hair raises her hand, waving at Iida. She’s wearing black earrings that make her eyes stand out nicely.

“Hanta Sero!”

“That’s me!” The boy between Kirishima and I pipes up. He has a spanish accent and a smile that could make the sun hide in shame.

“Fumikage Tokoyami!”

“Here.” A boy with slicked back black hair replies. His eyes are slanted, and his arms are crossed. He’s got a red choker on as well. 

“Shoto Todoroki!”

A boy in the back of the class raises his hand. His hair is white on one side and red on the other, and where his red hair is, there’s a giant scar over his left eye. He raises his hand but makes no other comment.

“Katuski Bakugou!”

“Yeah yeah yeah I’m here.” Katsuki responds, waving his hand. Iida turns to him, confusion flooding his features.

“Why aren’t you sitting in your seat? It was chosen for you.” Iida asks. Katuski rolls his eyes.

“Because I’m not sitting next to that damn fa-”

“Well if you don’t want to sit there, I can move!” Kirishima volunteers, standing up with his bags in his hands. He walks over to the desk in front of me and sits down, plopping his stuff on the desk. Katsuki walks over to Kirishima’s old seat.

“Well… if our teacher comes back and says it’s okay, then there should be no problem! Moving on! Izuku Midoryia!”

I raise my hand, a smile spreading across my face.

“Present!” I say. Katsuki turns to me with a hateful glare on his face, but doesn’t do much else.

“Hitoshi Shinsou!” 

“Here.” Someone with purple hair responds, waving their hand around. They’ve got a boy’s blazer on, but a skirt as well. I quickly turn around to them, hoping to not be noticed

“Hey, can I ask your pronouns?” I whisper. Shinsou pauses for a moment before giving me a tearful smile.

“They.” They whisper. I give them a small smile.

“NO TALKING!” Iida yells.

I’ve already failed.

“Now! Momo Yaoyorozu.”

“Present.” Comes a voice from the back of the classroom. She’s wearing a school uniform but I can tell that she’s very rich based on the jewelry she’s wearing.

“Now, if that’s everyone-”

“Wait! What about me?” A girl with long brown hair yells out.

“...What’s your name?” Iida asks. He narrows his eyes on the seating chart.

“Hagakure Tooru! I swear, sometimes I feel like I’m invisible…” She mumbles. Iida apologizes and goes back to writing down her name.

Iida continues talking about the seating chart but I’ve stopped listening. I’m in my own world, daydreaming about Kirishima and his red hair. He’s lazily playing with his phone.

“Thank you for your help.”

I quickly turn to the door to see who was talking and a man with a yellow sleeping back around his shoulders walks in. His hair is long and black. It rests on his shoulders.

“I- Are you our teacher?” Iida asks, attempting to recompose himself. Our teacher nods. He starts making his way out of his yellow sleeping bag to reveal a black t-shirt, white scarf, and black skinny jeans. I have to admit, for someone who showed up in a sleeping bag, he’s surprisingly well dressed.

“I am. My name is Shouta Aizawa, but you can all call me Mr. Aizawa.” He says. He gestures to Iida’s seat. “Please sit down so I can start our lessons for today.”

“MR. AIZAWA, IT IS HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL TO SHOW UP TO CLASS LATE AND IN A-”

“Yeah yeah, take a seat kid. Now I’m noticing that there’s a note here on Katsuki Bakugou and Ejiro Kirishima switching seats. Can you please explain this situation to me?” Mr. Aizawa asks, his face deadpanning. Katuski is quick to open his mouth, but Ejiro’s reaction time is just as fast (if not faster).

“I don’t want to sit next so some damn f-”

“He said he wanted to change seats so I-”

Their voices overlap as the two yell at our teacher. Mr. Aizawa throws his head back and covers his ears, making it clear he doesn’t care this much. He waves his hand at the two of them.

“Whatever, it's not that big of a deal. Now, onto our lesson-”

The angry pomeranian sits back down in his seat with a hateful glaze. Kirishima also sits down, crossing his arms. Jirou, who is sitting next to him, hands him a note from Kamanari. Kirishima reads it before rolling his eyes. His ears turn a little red as he writes his response. He hands the note back over to a bored looking Jirou.

“I know my students aren’t passing notes on the first day of the school year.” Mr. Aizawa says. He turns to face Kaminari and Kirishima, who are sitting up much straighter than they were before.

“No sir! Don’t know why you’d think that!” Kaminari laughs, rubbing the back of his neck. Kirishima also gives a fake, if not nervous, laugh.

“Can’t be us!” He says, giving a thumbs up.

“Uh huh. Well… today, you’re all going to be doing ice breakers.”

The class groans. I, for one, don’t mind. No one ever really came to ask me questions back before middle school, so I was able to just sit down and relax.

“We’re doing things a little differently though. Come up here and tell me what your favorite cartoon was as a child, then tell me how that impacted your choices as a kid.” Mr. Aizawa explains. He starts getting back into his sleeping bag.

“I’ll start. When I was a kid, I didn’t like cartoons.”

\-------

Class goes on for what feels like forever. Our icebreaker is fun enough, and I learn a little bit more about my classmates. My next few classes are just as slow as my first one, but Katsuki doesn’t make another angry appearance to my desk.

The bell rings for lunch and everyone heads out. I stay behind, pulling out a snack my mom left for me in my backpack. She knows I don’t go to the cafeteria anymore, so she started throwing random snacks in my bag so I could eat something before dinner.

But, to my surprise, Iida and Uraraka come up to me. They have three trays between the two of them, and they hand one to me. They take the desks and chairs next to me and set up a small eating area.

And the thing that catches me off guard the most?

  
The fact that they don’t make a big deal out of it.

“So Izuku! You said your favorite cartoon as a kid was Sponge Bob?” Uraraka asks. She takes a bite of her sandwich.

“Well… kinda? I mean, the TV show I actually watched was Power Rangers. I was kinda obsessed with the idea of becoming a superhero.” I laugh, rubbing the back of my neck.

“That’s really cool! What about you, Iida?”

“I didn’t really watch cartoons as a child. My parents wanted me to focus on reading.” Iida explains, tapping his chin.

“That’s… interesting.” I say. I hesitantly take a bite of the orange chicken bestowed upon me. It tastes warm. A little bit like cardboard, too.

“It made me value education more.” Iida says. He continues working on his meal as well, stabbing his food aggressively. I get the feeling that’s not all of his childhood, but I know better than to push.

We talk like we’ve known each other a long time.

“Hey did you guys hear about the baseball team?” Uraraka asks. She’s on the edge of her seat, rocking back and forth. My heart picks up at that question and I feel my body starting to go pale.

“Aren’t they opening tryouts tonight?” Iida asks.

“They are! I was going to try out but I didn’t want to do it alone.” Uraraka’s face lights up as she explains the tryout process. I bite my lips together, doing my best to not show that I want to be there.

“Why don’t you two try out?” 

Iida and I look at each other. Iida’s face turns a light shade of pink and he goes to rub the back of his head.

“I normally run track… that’s what my parents wanted me to do.” He tries to explain.

Uraraka tilts her head.

“Do you want to play baseball?”

Iida pauses for a moment. His face is a mix of confusion and stress. Almost as if no one had ever asked him a question like that before.

He turns to Uraraka.

“I do.”

\-----

The bell rings, signaling the end of the day. My two new friends- that felt nice to say. Friends- wave to me.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try out, Izuku?” Iida asks me. I can tell he wants me to come with, but I know that if I go there, I’ll only cause problems with Katsuki.

“I don’t really think baseball is for me.” I lie. I have my batting gloves in my backpack. Just like every other day too. So I can practice at the batting cages.

“But how can you know if you never trrryyy?” Uraraka asks, grabbing ahold of my blazer, shaking me. I chuckle, but push her hands down as gently as I can.

“I’ll come watch you two play if you want me to.” I suggest. Iida and Uraraka faces light up. Of course, Uraraka starts pulling me to the field with her. For someone so small, she’s incredibly strong.

Once we get there, I take a seat on the benches and watch them warm up. I open up my backpack and start digging around it, looking for another snack. Instead, I find my baseball glove. I pull it out and stare at it.

_Damn, mom. You really thought I would._

_Oh fuck, my mom-_

I whip my phone out and shoot a quick text to her. Her response comes a few seconds later.

Me  
Hey mom! I’m going to be a bit late, I made   
some new friends today. I’m watching them try  
out for the ball team.

Read: 2:54 PM

  
Mom <3  
I’m so proud of you Izuku! Are you going  
to try out for the team too?  
Read: 2:54

Me  
No, Katsuki is probably going to try out too. I  
don’t want to cause problems on my first  
day of school.  
Read: 2:55

  
Mom <3  
You shouldn’t let someone who isn’t  
apart of your life control what you do with it  
Izuku.  
Read: 2:56

Me  
Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe I’ll think about  
it. Thanks mom. I love you! I’ll be home before  
dinner is ready.  
Read: 2:57

  
Mom <3  
I love you too honey! Stay safe, I think  
there were rumors of a gang hanging out  
around your school.  
Read: 2:57

  
Me  
I will!  
Read: 2:57

\-------

I look back up from my phone. The tryouts have just started. Everyone huddles into a group, listening to the coach, who looks an awful lot like Yawara Chatora.

I squint my eyes a little bit, making my way over to the fence, trying to see if that really is him. My heart speeds up as I realize that my idol, the man who inspired me to want to play baseball in the first place, is a coach at UA high school.

“You know who that is, huh?” Comes a familiar voice.

“FUC- Oh! M-Mr. Aizawa! Hahahah… Yeah. That’s Yawara Chatora. He’s the pussycats pitcher. His team won the baseball world cup in 2011. One of the first trans people to win the MVP award, too.”

Mr. Aizawa looks at me.

“Not many people know the second one.” He says. I laugh awkwardly, taking a small step away from him.

“It’s not like that- I mean- he was my idol! So! I was-”

My teacher puts his hand up to stop my rambling. He laughs quietly, a smile spreading across his face.

“You know a lot about him. You should try out. I see you’ve already got your glove.” He says. He points to my backpack, which I didn’t close.

I bite my lips together and open my mouth, trying to give him the same excuse I gave Uraraka and Iida, but he cuts me off before I have the chance to.

“If you’re worried about Bakugou giving you grief, Chatora and I will have a talk with him. If you’re passionate about something, then you should give it your all. You’ll spend the rest of your life wondering what could’ve been and regretting it. Trust me.” Mr. Aizawa says. He gives me a pat on the back.

I look at Chatora and my friends.

And then I notice someone with spiky red hair.

Kirishima…

My heart jumps a little bit.

I stare at him for a while. His face looks so serious. He’s nodding along with something the coach says, then turns to look at me. A smile spreads across his face. He waves at me, and I find myself waving back.

Then his name gets called. He shakes his head, turning his attention back to what he’s supposed to be doing.

I wish that I could be a part of that.

\-------

After tryouts are finished, Iida and Uraraka exchange phone numbers with me. We make plans to hang out tomorrow, then they go on their merry way. It doesn’t take me long to notice that the majority of my class was there too.

Including one angry pomeranian.

Who is now stomping over to me.

A bat in hand.

_Oh f u c k-_

“WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING, DEKU!? WATCHING THE BASEBALL TEAM LIKE THE FUCKING-” Katsuki continues stomping up towards me. I quickly grab my bag, throwing my stuff in it as soon as I possibly can, making a run for it.

“IT WASN’T LIKE THAT KACCHAN, I WAS JUST-” I try to explain. I run to the edge of 5 level baseball benches and jump. I fall to my knees but recover quickly, trying to make my way to the bathrooms.

“I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT YOU DAMN NERD!” Katsuki yells. He jumps right after me, slamming the baseball bat onto the grass, just barely missing my ankles. I gasp for air.

_Just gotta make it off school grounds. I know exactly where to go from there. Just run a little faster. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this-_

“YOU BETTER PICK UP YOUR FEET DEKU!”

_I can’t do this, I can’t do this, I can’t do this, holy shit holy shit holy fuck okay okay okay think think think- hey that looks like Kirishima coming out of the bathroo- Did Katsuki just slam his bat into the pole behind me?_

_Don’t look don’t look-_

_HOLY FUCK HE’S SO CLOSE-_

I run into something solid- and oddly warm.

“Whoa! Oh hey man, what’re you doing?” Kirishima asks. He puts his hands on my arms, stabilizing me. His toothy smile drops when he sees my face.

“Wha- Oh! Heyyy Kiri! I’m just playing uhh… tag. With Kacch- uhh… I mean Bakugou. With Bakugou.” I say. I mask my terror with a smile, specifically crafted to ease any worry that people have. Kirishima looks behind me. He gives me a smile too after a moment.

“Oh hey Bakugou! I heard you and Izuku went far back, but I wasn’t expecting you guys to play tag.” Kirishima says, throwing an arm around my shoulders. 

“...Yeah. Deku’s hard to catch.” Katsuki says after a moment. He glares at me.

“Well, I was hoping maybe you’d want to practice with me later too- since you seem to be with Izuku-” Kirishima tries to suggest, but he’s cut off.

“I don’t want to practice with you. Fuck off, shitty hair.” Katsuki begins walking away from the two of us. Once he leaves, I release a br

eath that I’d been holding.

“That… didn’t seem like a game of tag.”

“No? I think I won.”

Kirishima looks at me. There’s a frown on his face. I don’t ever want to see that again.

“He’s just like that. No need to worry. He’s harmless.”

You’re a fucking liar, Izuku.

“Okay… if you say so.” Kirishima says after a minute. “You were watching the tryouts, right? I thought you were going to join in!” The red head punches my arm gently.

“I’m not… really… any good.” I whisper my excuse. It gets harder to repeat every time I have to say it.

“Awwee c’mon man! You’ll never know if you don’t try.” Comes the reply I’m so used to hearing.

“No, really, I’m trash at baseball.” I laugh again. I wave my hand and try to excuse myself from the conversation.

“Well why don’t you throw a few pitches for me anyways? I need to practice on my swing.”

Well… that’s a new one.

“Are you sure? I really mean it when I say I’m trash.” My heart is speeding up. The first time I’ve ever practiced with someone my age… and with a boy who keeps stopping Katsuki from beating the hell out of me.

“Yeah! I’m sure! You seemed interested when you were watching.” Kirishima puts a hand on my back. He gives me a reassuring smile. “Even if you’re not that good, I can teach you. If you’re interested-”  
“I should try.” I whisper, cutting him off. I pull my glove out of my backpack.

“Yeah… yeah! Okay! Let’s go try!” My excitement is through the roof. I start shaking my arms around, my body unable to contain my big emotions. My stims don’t stop until I reach the pitcher's mound, but Kirishima doesn’t say anything. He just smiles at me.

“Alright bro, whenever you’re ready.” He says. He gets into position.

I grab a ball from a bucket left behind. The ball feels heavy in my hands.

I look at Kirishima. All I see is home plate. I close my eyes and take a breath.

I wind up my pitch. A small step to the left. My leg goes up.

And then I let the ball fly.

\-------

“Are you sure you’re bad? And that you’ve never played baseball before? Because you just struck me out. Like… 10 times. You’re incredible bro!” Kirishima’s face is so happy that I can’t stop myself from laughing.

He pauses for a moment. His face breaks out into a wider smile.

“I really need to work on my batting if I hope to compare to you one day.” He says. I tilt my head. That doesn’t really make sense to me. I’ve practiced with adults who’ve been playing for over 20 years- of course my pitching is good.

“Wait, you’ve been practicing? And you still tried to say you didn’t want to play?” 

I said that out loud-

“It- I- well it’s not-”

“Do you not want to play with us?”

“NO! It’s nothing like that! It’s- I- Well- I- It’s more like-” The words don’t form in my mouth quick enough.

Kirishima takes a few steps towards me. He looks concerned, and he puts his hands on my arms.

“Is it Bakugou?” He asks.

Fear begins to fill my bones.

“No! It’s- he’s- well- he’s apart of the problem- but it’s different for me. I just. I can’t.” I say. Tears start to prickle at my eyes. Kirishima bites his lips together.

“Whoaaaa… Look man, you don’t have to tell me why you won’t play. But you looked so… I don’t know, happy! School just started and the only time I saw you smile was when you were playing.” Kirishima pulls out his phone. He hands it to me. “Put your phone number in my phone. I’ll text you so we can go out and play whenever you feel like it, okay?” He makes a fist with his left hand, another smile coming across his face.

“I’m sorry,” I say, wiping away my tears. I start punching my number into his phone. “I don’t normally get worked up like that.”

_Liar_.

“Don’t worry man! It’s not unmanly to cry! Everyone’s gotta let out those emotions! I’m just glad you felt safe enough to.” The taller boy says. He gives me another pat on the back. We stare at each other for a few moments. Then his phone dings, and we notice how close we are, so we jump back awkwardly, our faces bright red.

“Oh crap! It’s so late! I gotta get home!” Kirishima yells. He picks up his stuff and starts running off the field. He pauses for a moment before he leaves the school grounds, turning back to look at me. “I’ll text you! Just let me get home first, okay!” He says.

“Okay!” I yell back. Kirishima disappears into the distance.

From there, I start making my way back home.

\----

When I get home, my mom has just finished dinner.

I sit down across the table from her.

“How was school sweetie? You told me you made some new friends.”

My heart quickens again. I look up at mom, a real and genuine smile on my face. The way the light hits her green hair makes it shine.

“I did. I actually did mom.”  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Annnnndddd that's chapter 1! I'll be coming back to this within a few days an editing it. I hope to have new chapters out every other week. If it wasn't clear, Koda is mute lol. Bakugou is ruder in this version as well. Let me know in the comments if you think this is good! And if you don't think it's good, keep it to yourself <3 :D


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